Theater review: ASP presents all-female ‘Julius Caesar’

Tuesday

Nov 21, 2017 at 11:19 AMNov 21, 2017 at 11:22 AM

By Iris Fanger/For The Patriot Ledger

‘Friends, Romans, countrywomen Whoa! The change in gender runs strangely in the ear, but not for the Actors’s Shakespeare Project production, running in Studio 210, upstairs at the Huntington Theatre. The cast of strong male characters is all-female, with the gender nouns and pronouns changed accordingly. Thus, “he” becomes “she,” while “brothers” becomes “sisters,” and so on.

Under the direction of Bryn Boice, the world of Rome, ruled by the god-like Julius Caesar played by a confident, self-absorbed Liz Adams, is totally inhabited by women.

To watch this experimental portrait of an Amazon-like kingdom is to question the conventional wisdom that women are more gentle, kind and forgiving than men. However, given the masculine-like strides by the actors, and the all-black breeches and boots that they wear, these characters are even more macho in their violent actions, vengeful behavior, and downright jealousy of each other.

Shakespeare’s play is about the assassination of the emperor Julius Caesar by a band of his closest associates in the Roman senate, led by his friend, Brutus ( a powerful Marya Lowry), but instrumented by Cassius (Bobbie Steinbach in a devious and mesmerizing performance), a political rival. Although warned by the sooth-sayer (MaConnia Chesser, also double cast as one of the co-conspirators) who warns Caesar to beware the Ides of March, and the troubling dreams of the empress, Calpurnia (the graceful, Erin Eva Butcher), Caesar determines to appear at the Senate on that day. The play builds to the murder, climaxed by the scene at the burial rites where Brutus claims that the deed was done by men who loved the emperor but loved Rome more, acting to save their country from Caesar’s “ambition.” Despite the misgivings of Brutus, Cassius gives Caesar’s faithful companion, Mark Antony, permission to speak at the funeral. His oration, famous in the annals of stage literature, totally sways the citizens to cries of “revenge,” after he/she claims sarcastically that the killers were “honorable men” but emphasizes that they are “traitors,” and that Caesar loved the people more. Antony provokes the crowd to cries of “villains,” and demands for “revenge.” The cast is blessed by the presence of Marianna Bassham as the most effective Mark Antony to have played the role in recent memory. As Antony, dressed in form-fitting tights, with the leather epaulets of a solider on one slim shoulder, Bassham is a marvel of clarity of purpose, once she has expressed her grief for the fallen leader. Her declarative delivery of Antony’s funeral speech that builds from sympathy for the perpetrators to riling up the populace is a marvel of intention, crafty choice of words, and vocal timbre, all the more terrifying for its’ success.

The rest of Shakespeare’s play concerns the end-game of politics and killing between the conflicting armies of Mark Antony, Octavius and Lepidus against Cassius and Brutus, warned on the eve of the battle of Philippi, that they will “meet again.” Caesar will be revenged.

Boice has directed a dark staging enhanced by costumes designed by Rebeccca Jewett and shadows and low lighting devised by Jen Rock. Cristina Todesco’s stark, black setting with iron-like structures around the entrances is centered at first by a wrapped body hanging from a chain at its center. The flowing scenes are introduced by dance-like movements for the company, ending in battles that are effectively staged, despite the small number of actors in the cast.

Although the viewer might not be convinced that the world would be better if women ruled it, the production is intriguing, not the least for the reminder of the contemporary political scene suggested by the autocratic Caesar’s full, blond head of hair, and the in-fighting among the people around him. Perhaps the ensemble on stage needs to act less like the men whom they are meant to replace.